SUDBURY - People wore red to launch this year's Bundle Up in Red campaign support of HIV and AIDS awareness week across the country.

In Sudbury, it's the eighth year the city has been raising awareness for those living with the disease.

Kathleen Savage has been living with HIV since 2013

"I was a heavy drug user, and I was using with a girl, that I didn’t realize she was positive, so she passed it on to me through IV drug use," said Savage.

Savage says although the news was devastating, it actually changed her life for the better

"All of a sudden, I didn’t want to use IV drugs anymore, and I wanted to be healthy. I was a sex worker as well, so I changed that aspect of my life. There have been ups and downs in my life, so I would be clean, then I would relapse, then be clean, then relapse. So now, I feel like I’m in more of an even plane," said Savage.

Officials say 17 per cent of people in Canada with the disease do not know they have it, which is why it’s vital to get tested.

Chasse Gilbeault is a harm reduction outreach worker with Sudbury's  Réseau Access Network.

"The earlier that people find out that they have HIV, they can get on medication. We’ve come a long way with HIV, where people are less likely to become terminally ill from it because of the medication and diagnosing early," said Gilbeault.

Councillor Deb McIntosh, representing the city, proclaimed the week of Nov. 25th through Dec. 1st as HIV Awareness Week.

"This is a disease that runs through our city and, as you heard, the statistics and people need to know. And it’s important that we raise awareness, as we do on an annual basis and an ongoing basis. There’s a lot of competing interests, but it’s important we promote this week," said McIntosh.

Red scarves can be found around the city as a way to spread knowledge and reduce the stigma surrounding HIV.